Centrifugal spray device



May 2, 1933.

R. W. BECKETT ET AL CENTRIFUGAL SPRA'Y DEVICE Filed June 18. 1950INVENTORS Section A B C D E Z QJZ 41. M

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 2, 1933 REGINALD W. BECKET'I MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

AND oTTo TEIEL or DETROIT, mIcnIeAmAssmnons, BY To TIMKEN SILENTAUTOMATIC comrm, or nETnoIT,

MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN I OENTBIFUGAL SPRAY DEVICEApplication filed June 18,

The present invention relates to centrifugal sprayers or atomizers andmore especially to oil sprayers for rotary liquid fuel burners.

Various forms of centrifugal sprayers have been used for finely dividingliquid fuel for burners, and among others a rotary cup to which the oilis delivered by means of tubes mounted in the bottom and projecting downinto an oil reservoir, the lower end being fashioned to scoop up the oilas the cup rotates. Due to the inertia of the oil, this scooping resultsin the oil flowing up the tube and into the cup through the upper openend of the tube. In the particular structure referred to. the cup isalso provided with openings in its bottom to permit air to enter thecup.

Various objections were encountered in this old structure and not theleast of these was the admission of air to the cup. This practiceresulted in a combustible mixture being produced in the cup with theresulting liability to combustion therein. When, however,

the holes in the cup were closed, difficulty was met in providingthrough the air admission openings suflicient air admission for completecombustion of the oil capable of being sprayed by a given cup.

Further, it was found that when using two tubes, which number is amplefor the largest sizeburner, more than half of the cup was withoutfunction in spraying. Among the objects of the present invention,therefore, is a sprayer structure that overcomes the objections aboveindicated and eliminates useless-material and at the same time providesfor sufiicient air admission to provide for complete combustion of allof the oil cap-able of being sprayed-by the device.

Another object is a novel construction of sprayer in which is admittedalong with the oil only that insignificant amount of air entrainedthrough the tubes.

Another object is a combined sprayer and air impeller which, in thesmaller installations, supplies sufficient combustion support-. ing airwithout the necessity tional air impelling means. I

Still other objects will readily occur to those skilled in the art uponreference to of using addi- 1930. Serial No. 462,062;

the following description and the acc'om-- panying drawing in which Fig.1 is a top I plan view of the device embodying the inventlon, Fig. 2 isa vertical section on the line ABCDE of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an elevationof -one of the scoop tubes and fixing means, and Fig.4 is a top planview of such a tube and its fixing means.

Referring to the drawing, the spray device is indicated as comprising acentral sleeve member 10 whose lower end is enlarged to form adownwardly opening cup or oil splash shield 11 providing against oilbeing splashed out of the reservoir (not shown). The upper portion ofmember 10 is machined to cylindrical form as at 12 and may have areduced cylindrical portion 13 for securing thereon an air impeller (notshown).

Mounted substantially vertically in the horizontal upperwall 15 of thecup 11 are a plurality of oil scooping tubes 16', each provided at itslower end with a pick finger 17 adapted to dip into the oil in thereservoir and scoop up some of the oil as the spray device is rotated.These tubes, as indicated in the drawing, are preferably rolled from aflat blank and provided with an integral ear 18 formed to receive ascrew 19 by means of which the tubes may be fixed in the wall 15 againstrotation and against longitudinal movement. The upper end of each tubealso is providedwith a finger or spacing lug 9, the purpose of whichwill be described later.

Mounted upon the cylindrical portion 12 of member 10, above the cup' 11is the spray device proper, designated as a whole by the numeral 20.This consists of a central sleeve 21, fitting snugly upon the portion12, and carrying a chambered member formed of a lower dished and formedsheet metal member 22 and an upper dished and formed sheet member 23.

As shown, the lower to a greater degree than the upper member 23, sothat a central chamber 2 1 having parallel side portions 30 is formedwhen the two are put together. As indicated in Fig. 1, a top plan viewof'these members shows them to have fan-shaped end portions 25 whosemember 22 is dished all ends terminate in arcs described about the axisof the spray device.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the fan-shaped portions 25 extend upwardly andoutwardly from the chambered portions 24 of the spray device 20 in asmooth curve.

The member 22 is provided in its mid-horizontal portion with openingsfor admitting tubes 16 and is also provided with formed up side wallsfor the chambers 24:, these walls terminating at their upper edges inflange portions 31 bent over the edges of member 23' and serving tosecure the two members 22 and 23 together at these points. Along theside edges of the fan-shaped portions 25, the two members are bothprovided with wide up turnedfianges 32 parallel and adjacent, when theparts are assembled, and secured together by any suitable means, as bywelding. These flanges 32 are of such width that they extend above theupper face of member 23 for a short distance as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

In assembling members 21, 22 and 23, the latter two will be spaced atthe fan-shaped portions 25 only a short distance, to provide a nozzleopening 33, of the fan width but or small height, and both are'pressedtightly on and preferably welded to the sleeve 21. It is also preferredto insert at each side of sleeve 21 a spacer and divider which ii); thedepth of and separate the chambers 24.

As shown best in Fig. 2, the spray device 20 is fixed in adjustedposition on member 10 by means of two set screws 40 passing through theside walls 30 and sleeve 2l and contacting with member 10..

In the form of burner for which the present device is especiallysuitable, it is often necessary, when making an installation, to raiseor lower the oil spray, and it is for this reason the device 20 is soarranged as to be movable on the member 10. However, in order that itmay not be lowered so much as to interfere with the flow of oil from thetop of tubes 16, these are provided with the spacer lugs or fingers 9which prevent the closing of the tubes by striking the member 23.

In the operation of the device the sprayer is mounted upon the shaft ofa suitable motor, which shaft passes up into and is fixed in the centralopening of the member 10 and an annular oil reservoir provided for theaction of the scoop tubes 16.

Rotation of the sprayer causes the scoops to pick up oil from thereservoir and causes such oil to flow up tubes 16 and be discharged intochambers 24 against the inner wall of member 22. On account of the rapidrotation of the device and the inertia of the oil, the latter willspread out fan wise and there will result a wide thin stream of oilsubstantially the width of opening 33, the tubes 16 being so placed thatthe edge-of the fan of oil coincides with the outer arc-shaped edges ofthe sprayer.

Further, the flanges 32 act as impeller blades and cause flow of air inconsiderable quantity while the substantially two-thirds cut awayportion of the device allow admission of such air. In fact, in burnersintended to operate at only a small part of their capacity, it has beenfound that no additional air supply devices are necessary. The blades 32tend to cause outward movement of the gases with which they are incontact when the device is rapidly rotated. Such outward movement, ofcourse, causes a lowering of pressure near the center line and suchlowering of pressure causes the flow of gases into this low pressureregion. It so happens that the present device is not exposed to thecombustion chamber but it is coveredby means of a fan element andtherefore combustion gases do not have access to the low pressureregion. This fan device is not shown, as it forms no part of the presentinvention which is limited to the device shown in the drawing. A patentwhich is below identified, shows the fan device as being also the coverfor the oil cup but in the present instance, the cover for the oilchambers is integral with the chambered el ment and therefore the fandevice will be above and prevent access of the combustion gases,

lit should be noted that the resent tion provides spray device spraydischarge fan-shaped nov ls and their corresponding chambered porform ineffect merely continuations oi scoop tubes and that little, if any, aircan get into chambers 24, thereby reducing to a large extent, if noteliminating, the formation of a combustible mixture in the cl1ambers andthe consequent danger of combustion therein.

A form of oil burner to which the present device is particularly welladapted is shown in the patent to Forest A. Heath, No. 1,707,- 474,issued April 2, 1929.

Now having described the invention and the preferred form of embodimentthereof, it is to be understood that said invention is to be limited,not to the specific devices herein set forth, but only by the scope ofthe claims which follow:

We claim:

1. A centrifugal spray device comprising a member containing a pair ofsubstantially fan shaped chambers, the outer ends of which are open andin a different plane from the q inner ends and means for supplying sprayliquid to said chambers.

2. A centrifugal spray device comprising a member containing a pair ofsubstantially fan shaped chambers, the outer ends of which I are openand in a plane above the plane of the inner ends and means for supplyingspray liquid to saidchambers.

3. A centrifugal spray device comprising a member containing a pair ofsubstantially fan shaped chambers formed from upper and lower bowed ordished plates, the lower plate being bowed or dished more than theupper, and also provided with side flanges, whereby to provide achamberedportion centrally of said device and means for supplying sprayliquid to said chambers.

4. A centrifugal spray device comprising a member containing a pair ofsubstantially fan shaped chambers formed from upper and lower bowed ordished-plates, being bowed or dished more than the upper, and alsoprovided with side flanges, whereby to provide a chambered portioncentrally of said device, said plates being also spaced apart a shortdistance at their ends to provide a relatively wide opening of smallheight and means for supplying spray liquid to said chambers.

5. A centrifugal spray device comprising i I pair of substantially fanshaped chambers formed from upper and lower plates having means forfixing them together, said plates being also provided with upstandingflanges along their side edge portions adapted to act as fan blades andmeans for supplying spray liquid to said chambers. 6. A centrifugalspraydevice comprising a member containing a pair of substantially fanshaped chambers each provided with an outlet at its arc shaped end, aninlet tube for each chamber extending thereinto near the center point, adownwardly extending hub member for said device and means for fixingsaid tubes in said hub member.

7. A centrifugal spray device comprising a member containing a pair ofsubstantially fan shaped chambers each outlet at its arc shaped end, aninlet tube for each chamber extending thereinto near the center point, ahub member upon which said chambered member is adapted to be adjustamember containing a ably mounted, means for fixing said tubes in memberand means for preventing said hub the closing of the upper end of saidtubes at any adjusted position of the two members.

8. A centrifugal spray device comprising a member containing a pair ofsubstantially fan shaped chambers each provided with an outlet at itsare shaped end, an inlet tube for each chamber extending thereinto nearthe center point, a hub member upon which said chambered member isadapted to be adjustably mounted, means for fixing said tubes in saidhub member so as to prevent longitudinal and rotative movement, andmeans for preventing the closing of the upper end of said tubes at anyadjusted position of the two members.

REGINALD W. BECKETT.

OTTO THIEL.

the lower plate provided with an

